Sadly, most analysts have failed to ask three key machinery
of government questions whose answers will foreshadow the prospects for Conservative re-election or defeat in the in the 42nd General Election.
Question 1: Will the Conservatives make a majority Par- liament meaningful? With their legislative agenda guaran- teed to pass, the Tories must avoid becoming smug or dismis- sive of opposition suggestions lest they be perceived as aloof or arrogant. Indeed, this is the challenge for all majority gov- ernments. Ironically, they may be helped by Jack Layton returning to
reality if he dumps his post-election musings about having earned a mandate to co-govern the country after the NDP’s historic showing. In turn, the Tories will need to ensure that House of Commons committees can actually propose mean- ingful amendments to legislation since no government or Bill is perfect. Moreover, MPs need to live up to their promises of better
decorum as opposed to the theatre of using parliamentary im- munity to defame opponents that was often the norm rather than the exception for the last seven years. Thankfully, with over 100 rookies and a youth movement in the green cham- ber, there is cause for optimism on this point.
In the last five years as Prime Minister, he [Stephen Harper] has learned that governing Canada is about finding the shifting middle between East and West, French and English, urban and rural, and ideological and pragmatic. There is no hidden agenda … there never was!”
Question 2: Will the Conservatives allow/enable the federal bureaucracy to fully play its role? Most politicians, regardless of partisan stripe, will boast of the calibre of our non-partisan public service and its critical role to design and deliver policy, programs and services in our system of gov- ernment. For the past seven years of minority governments, the depth and talent of our public service has been woefully underutilized as successive governments were caught in the
vortex of 12-week parliamentary sessions. The short-term was now, mid-term was an hour from now, and long-term was a day from now. Transformative projects like replacing legacy IT systems and major defence procurements or federal-provincial efforts to modernize health care or pension regimes – where public servants always shoulder the load – did not occur. Discipline and urgency on these files must now permeate the whole of government. And the Prime Minster and the Clerk of the Privy Council
must set this tone for all Deputy Ministers to ensure that fear- less advice and truth-to-power counsel from the bureaucracy is not only welcome, but expected at every turn. By the same token, once decisions have been taken by the Government; loyal, effective and expeditious implementation by our pro- fessional public service must occur. This will be all the more important given the difficult decisions ahead to eliminate the federal deficit.
Question 3: Will the political apparatus supporting Ministers emerge from the bunker of its minority siege mentality? As a consultant lobbyist, I observe and interact with political staff and senior officials on a weekly basis. The challenge for Ministerial staff is to transition from the 12- week minority mindset to build their schedules for a more measured pace of learning files, engaging more stakeholders and taking time to think. For five years, I’ve watched several friends burn themselves out and sacrifice their health to the 14-hour day, 7-day a week grind to support their Minister. Their BlackBerries were “on” at 2am, just in case! Here again, the Prime Minister can set the tone for his own staff, and Ministers in turn must insist that their support teams are expected to read, respond, reflect and relax when possible. Majority governments are most successful if they adopt a marathon mindset as opposed to an all-out sprint. Let the long race pacing begin.
Walter Robinson is a Principal with Tactix Government Relations and Public Affairs based in Ottawa (
www.tactix.ca)
April 2011 | Campaigns & Elections 51
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